Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Transient Behavior of the Oil Decongealing Process in an Aero Fuel-Cooled Oil Cooler Under Low-Temperature Conditions

Abstract

The fuel-cooled oil cooler (FCOC) in the lubrication circuit plays a critical role in the aero gas-turbine engine's aerothermal management. However, the low temperature of the operating environment can congeal the oil and reduce the FCOC efficiency. The oil bypass valve (OBV) installed on the FCOC prevents pressure loss. Its failure may cause overheating, requiring preemptive performance prediction. Experimental and numerical analyses were used to evaluate the cooler's decongealing performance under typical boundary conditions of pressure and temperature, OBV configurations, and rerouting of feed oil and fuel flow paths. The temporal variation of oil and fuel mass flow rates, temperature, and pressure of the feed oil and fuel provided an insight into the decongealing process and duration. The experimental data were used to develop a one-dimensional (1D) flow and thermal network analysis model based on the effectiveness (ε)-number of thermal units (NTU) method to predict the transient oil decongealing performance of the FCOC. The customized commercial code predicted the decongealing phenomena using empirical correlations with property correction schemes, showing good agreement with the experiment. The findings revealed various ways to enhance the decongealing performance of the FCOC. The study results showed that the operating boundary conditions, OBV location and status, and flow arrangements affect decongealing behavior and time. The present numerical model provides results quickly and can effectively predict experimentally costly and complicated cases. The attempted estimates of steady heat rejection and detailed methodology could guide future studies and practical applications.